KKIA Records 153 International Flights Weekly, Targets Two New Routes This Year

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- A total of 13 airlines currently provide 153 scheduled international flights per week to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).

Deputy Minister of Transport Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said among the airlines operating to Kota Kinabalu are Air Asia, Batik Air, Air Busan, Jin Air, Jeju Air, T’Way, Hong Kong Express, China Southern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Spring Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Fly Scoot and Royal Brunei.

He said to make Visit Malaysia Year 2026 a success, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) through Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) is targeting the opening of two new international routes to the airport.

“The two new international routes planned are the Kota Kinabalu-Chongqing route which will be operated by Chongqing Airlines starting March 20, 2026 and the Kota Kinabalu-Jeddah route which is currently still under consideration and is expected to be realised this year,” he said during an oral question and answer session at Dewan Negara today.

Hasbi said the federal government encourages local or foreign airlines to provide and expand international and domestic flight services to Sabah.

According to him, the government is also continuously conducting negotiations to strengthen and improve air traffic rights with foreign countries in addition to providing various incentives through MAHB and Tourism Malaysia to attract more airlines to operate to Sabah.

Responding to a supplementary question by Senator Datuk Edward Linggu Bukut, Hasbi said the decision to open a flight route is determined by the airline based on commercial considerations including passenger demand.

He said the increase in the number of tourists and the attractiveness of tourist destinations in Sabah will encourage airlines to increase frequency or open new routes.

At the same time, he said the government is also implementing several airport upgrade projects in Sabah to strengthen flight connectivity in the state, including the Tawau Airport upgrade project worth RM120.9 million to increase capacity from 1.5 million to 2.5 million passengers per year.

“The project that began in August 2025 will take 36 months and is expected to be completed in September 2028,” he said.

He said there is also a plan to upgrade Lahad Datu Airport using the Airport Development Fund (ADF) allocation, with the project study expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2026.

In addition, the Kota Kinabalu International Airport is also expected to be upgraded at an estimated cost of around RM400 million, with a detailed study being carried out before the project is implemented.

Responding to a supplementary question by Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew on international flights to Sarawak, Hasbi said the opening of new routes depends on market demand and passenger load factors assessed by airlines.

He said efforts to strengthen the tourism ecosystem by the state government, the federal government and industry players are important to attract more tourists and thus increase the potential for the opening of international flight routes to Sarawak.

-- BERNAMA